Every automobile on the road today utilizes various belts which turn on pulley systems in the automobile. For example, pulleys attached to the distal end of a powered rotatable shall rotate with the rotation of the shaft. A belt is provided between the pulley of the powered shaft and a second, unpowered pulley to rotate other apparatus necessary for the proper operation of the automobile. A belt extending between the pulley on the crank shaft and the pulley on the fan shaft rotates the fan which cools the engine. Another belt which extends between the pulley on the crank shaft and the pulley on the alternator recharges the battery. Most commercially installed, torque transmitting belts are a continuous loop of a predetermined length.
In the event that one or more of the belts breaks, snaps in two or exceeds its elastic limit, the belt will no longer turn the unpowered pulley resulting in failure of the system. Some such systems are critical to the operation of the automobile. If such a system fails, the car may cease to run, leaving the cat's occupants stranded. In some circumstances, being stranded can result in severe inconvenience, and perhaps even in a compromise to the safety of the cat's occupants.
Some automobile parts manufacturers have recognized the problems associated with belt failure and have developed various solutions. The solution has typically been to provide a replacement belt which is a unitary continuous piece of vulcanized rubber of the same length (size) as the belt which it is designed to replace. Due to the large variety of cars being manufactured today, and the even larger number of older model cars still on the road, the replacement belt industry has created belts of every imaginable length or size.
This industry solution to the problem has left much to be desired. Belts for one model car often do not fit on a different model car. Even within a single car, belts of differing sizes are designed in the car. Thus, a cautious motorist would feel compelled to carry several different sizes of replacement belts to ensure a properly sized replacement belt was on hand in the event of a belt failure.
Moreover, while the unitary, continuous belts of the type used in automobiles are elastic, they are nonetheless relatively rigid and difficult to stretch. Replacing these belts on the pulleys is an often difficult task, especially without tools. Often, disassembly of car parts is necessary to permit the replacement belt to be placed over the pulleys.
Various solutions to the problem of providing a temporary replacement belt are described in the specification to U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,929 issued to Robert Hynes on Dec. 25, 1990. However, as the '929 patent itself notes, these solutions are inadequate in that the bells disclosed are difficult to install and require tools for their installation. These solutions impede quick, easy replacement and are especially inadequate in emergency situations.
The '929 patent attempts to resolve the difficulties associated with prior replacement belts by providing a segmented belt having a plurality of links. Each of the links is connected together by use of dovetailed projections at one end of the link which is inserted into a complementary dovetailed receptacle in the opposite end of another link. In this fashion, the invention of the '929 patent achieves a desired length. In order to complete the loop and form a continuous belt, the '929 patent discloses a male link and a female link attachable at opposite ends of the plurality of links. A threaded bolt extends axially from and is freely rotatable within a bore disposed in the male link. A rotator link, having a borehole for receiving the threaded bolt attaches adjacent the male link. With the use of set screws, the rotator link is secured to the bolt shank. Then, by rotating the rotator link, the threaded bore shank can be threaded into a bore disposed in the female link. Set screw's in the female link can be tightened to adjust the degree of play in the now continuous belt. Lock nuts are also provided to prevent further rotation of the threaded bolt.
This solution to the replacement of detective belts fails adequately to address the problem. The dovetail connection in each of the links introduces multiple points of stress concentration and potential failure. Moreover, in marketing this embodiment of the '929 patent, substantial preassembly is required to bring any belt to a length necessary to satisfy the length requirements of any torque transmitting belt. Finally, this embodiment of the '929 patent requires the use of tools such as screw drivers and wrenches to install the belt.
In an alternate embodiment of the '929 patent, a continuous belt formed of links having male and female portions is disclosed. The connection of these links is accomplished by an awkward configuration of pins and opposed spaced ears. While a belt of varying length can be thus obtained, this embodiment likewise fails to overcome the difficulties inherent in the prior art.
The applicant of the present invention filed a co-pending U.S. patent application on Jan. 5, 1994 which discloses a length-adjustable, torque-transmitting belt. Applicant's invention in the co-pending application overcomes the shortcomings both of the prior art discussed in the specification of the '929 patent and of the invention disclosed and claimed in the '929 patent itself.
The torque-transmitting belt in Applicant's co-pending application incorporates a length of rubberized material having two opposed ends. One of the ends is a female end having an axially aligned borehole extending into the interior of the belt. The interior of the borehole comprises a plurality of axially displaced internal interface flanges. The other end of the belt is the male end. The male end has a plurality of external interface flanges which are adapted to engage the internal interface flanges in the borehole of the female end when the male end is plugged into the female end. When the external interface flanges are thus plugged into the female end of the belt, the internal and external flanges are in a locking relationship thereby permitting formation of a continuous loop.